‘I Sell the Dead’ Gets March Date with Blu-ray/DVD

Buried secrets will eventually resurface – along with the bodies that carry them – in I Sell the Dead, a horror movie that brings the fog-filled thrills of old to a new generation of fear fans. Produced by shock cinema master Larry Fessenden (The House of The Devil), who also co-stars, the movie claws its way onto Blu-ray and DVD from IFC Films via MPI Media Group on March 30, 2010, with SRP of $29.98 and $19.98, respectively.It was a time of ghouls, ghosts and most ghastly of all, the fine art of grave-robbing. In this homage to the rich gothic style of Britain’s Hammer Films, Dominic Monaghan of “The Lord of the Rings” and “Flash Forward” stars as 19th century corpse snatcher Arthur Blake, who pilfered the cemeteries and coffins of England until his capture by police. But just before Blake is to meet the hangman’s noose, he will confess to a peculiar priest (Ron Perlman of “Hellboy” and “Sons of Anarchy”) his gruesome tale of vampires, zombies and cadaver-dealing that takes him from the savagery of the criminal underworld to the terrors of the undead.

Larry Fessenden, producer-star of “The Last Winter” and director of “Wendigo” – two modern masterpieces – turns in another memorable performance in I SELL THE DEAD as the grave-robber who trains the young Monaghan. Angus Scrimm (“Phantasm”) co-stars in this deliriously grisly and hilarious homage to foggy graveyards, bloody mayhem and the golden age of gothic horror.

I SELL THE DEAD, the feature directorial debut of Glenn McQuaid, received rave reviews from both genre and mainstream critics, indicating the film’s across-the-board appeal. Horror review site DreadCentral.com gave the movie 4 Bloody Knives, while Fangoria’s Chris Alexander wrote, “If you pine for that delectable golden era of ghoulish, bodice-ripping big-screen terror, I SELL THE DEAD is the fright flick for you!”

“Gruesomely good!” praised Stephen Whitty in the Newark Star-Ledger. Jeannette Catsoulis of National Public Radio said, “Its wit and style … are thoroughly modern, as is a hilarious ending that leaves the sequel door wide open. And why not?” The New York Post’s V.A. Musetto said, “Genre fans will definitely get off on I SELL THE DEAD.” The Hollywood Reporter’s Chris Barsanti praised, “Glenn McQuaid’s microbudgeted debut is a jauntily gothic period spook story.”

Lauding the movie’s deft blend of horror and comedy, The New York Times’ Manohla Dargis wrote, “The Hammeresque shivers give way to Abbott and Costello-style slapstick.”

I SELL THE DEAD, which ran at New York’s premier indie showcase, the IFC Center, won the award for Best Cinematography at the Slamdance festival.